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Welcome to Schiffbauergasse

Welcome to Potsdam!

Lake Tiefer See ripples now, as ever, along the banks of the Potsdam quarter known as the Shipbuilder's Lane (Schiffbauergasse). The historical diversity lends itself at first glance to intrigue: the Prussian Hussars blew their shrill whistles as they completed their drills; an array of Prussian chateaus and gardens fill the Lane; the great steam boats of the Havel River were once built here; and teeming fish hatcheries were operated on the banks of Lake Tiefer See.

Contemporary times have witnessed the Shipbuilder's Lane morph into an astonishing, innovative locale intriguingly combining the industrial with the cultural. The twelve hectares propped on the waterside offer creativity at its finest: the art and cultural scenes meet high-tech enterprises as exciting history meets a trend-setting future.

The Shipbuilder's Lane has been noticeably shaped and influenced by the concept of free culture and theater. The newly-constructed Hans Otto Theater, opened in September 2006, is surrounded by historically preserved and renovated buildings such as the Laundry, the Machine Hall, and the Hussar Stables, which have become residences for both art and artists. Achieving not only an optical effect, the Volkswagen Design Center's sophisticated building architecture and the restored gas separator from the former gas works, in which the software company Oracle now operates, complete an artistic and industrial picture like no other.

The area's diverse character is also shaped by it's gastronomic and outdoor palate: the Waterfront Park's ship docks and marina, the waterfront promenade, the bicycle paths to the New Gardens, the Shipbuilder's Lane, Park Babelsberg, an on-board ship restaurant (John Barnett), and an authentic Italian restaurant (Il Teatro) in the former Chicory Mill.

The Shipbuilder's Lane distinguishes itself in the regional capital Potsdam by its unique unity of recognizable contrasts. Welcome to a virtual tour of the Shipbuilder's Lane!